


feel like an open wound

by magicandlight



Series: The States [74]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers, Statetalia
Genre: Appendicitis, Does this count as a sickfic?, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, OK is bad at self-care, but we knew that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27891112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicandlight/pseuds/magicandlight
Summary: “Hey, can you just tell me that it's impossible for us to get appendicitis?”“What?”“Please?”“Uh, it's not impossible, but it's pretty unlikely. We don't usually get sick like that, you know. Although appendicitis can be caused by trauma, that's really rare-”
Relationships: Minnesota/Oklahoma/Texas (Hetalia)
Series: The States [74]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/788712
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8





	feel like an open wound

**Author's Note:**

> title is from Taylor Swift's this is me trying because I couldn't resist

“So you're like, an actual doctor, yeah? Like I get that you do trauma stuff mostly now but you did rotations in other stuff, right?” Theo balances the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he rifles through the cabinet.

There's a briefly offended silence on the other side of the phone before Austin answers him. “...Yes?”

“Great. So. If someone, perhaps, was experiencing pain at say like, a six, in their stomach what would you say that was?” 

“Has this person,  _ perhaps _ , been eating dairy when they  _ know _ they're  _ not _ supposed to?” Austin comes off a little pissed, but Theo knows he's just worried. 

“No,” Theo answers, a little distracted with trying to find the tylenol. 

He only realizes the no comes off insincere when Austin sighs. “I'll come over after my shift, alright. Just, please stop eating stuff you know isn't good for you. The ice cream isn't worth it.”

“Agree to disagree,” Theo responds, a little put out that Austin had just assumed Theo would call him to bother him if he knew it was just the normal lactose intolerant stuff. “Bye, Austin.” 

~

It doesn’t get any better after a half-hour. 

It gets  _ worse _ .

_ Internal bleeding symptoms _ , Theo types into google, poking at the nasty bruise on his stomach. 

It hurts like hell, so he abandons that line of exploration. Still, Theo’s had internal bleeding before. It didn't hurt this bad. 

Oh god, what if he ruptured one of his organs? His spleen? That would hurt, right?

He googles that. 

Nope, spleen is pain on the left side.

He googles pain on the right side of abdomen. 

The second result is appendicitis.

~

To: #1 cowboy

_ hey can you call me when you're on a break? _

~

“Hey, can you just tell me that it's impossible for us to get appendicitis?”

“What?”

“Please?”

“Uh, it's not impossible, but it's pretty unlikely. We don't usually get sick like that, you know. Although appendicitis can be caused by trauma, that's really rare-”

“It can be caused by trauma?” Theo interrupts, thinking about how getting flung into the oxer by a horse probably counts as trauma. The new horse he was training had spooked and bucked him into it hard enough that he’d knocked the rails out. Theo had been glad he didn’t break his neck and hadn’t worried about it since nothing seemed broken.

“...Theo-”

Appendicitis is a hospital thing. 

“Uh, nevermind, got to go. You don't have to come over later, I'm actually feeling much better-”

“Theo-” Austin’s voice has dropped into the _ very _ worried register. 

“Bye, love, talk to you later!”

~

from: #1 cowboy

_ Theo if you have appendicitis you need to see an actual doctor _

_ Theo I know doctors freak you out but please _

_ Theo? _

_ I'm coming over _

~

to: starshine

_ Hey, what's the best over the counter painkiller? _

from: starshine

_ {image attached} _

_ this one, why? _

from: starshine

_ YOU HAVE APPENDICITIS AND YOU AREN’T ALREADY AT A DOCTOR? _

~

Austin is still in his scrubs when he sits on the bed beside Theo, which means he'd probably got off his shift and just Walked over, not even going home before. 

“Babe.”

Theo focuses on staying as still as possible and breathing in steadily albeit shallowly. He feels like if he moves he might actually be sick from the pain. The last time he was in so much pain he was nauseous was when he'd broken his arm and had to push the bone back in before it could heal. 

Austin lays a hand on the back of his neck. It's pretty much one of the only portions of exposed skin Austin can get to with the way Theo has buried his head under the pillow and curled up under the sheets. 

“You have a fever,” Austin says, probably chewing on his lip the way he does when he's worried. He rubs his hand down Theo’s back in a gesture that would normally soothe him, but right now Theo just barely manages not flinching away. 

Austin sighs. “Theo-”

“Min’s here,” Theo interrupts, and a second later the front door opens and shuts, a little harder than Mindy normally closes it. 

“Appendicitis, really, boys?” 

Austin makes a sound of protest, clearly disagreeing with being lumped in with Theo here. 

Mindy jostles the bed, just a little bit, when she sits down beside him, and a pained whine punches out of Theo’s chest before he can stop it.

“Never a dull moment, I guess,” Mindy sighs. “So what are we doing about it?”

Theo shifts enough to look at them, clenching his jaw at the pain when he does so. He focuses on Austin, who’s wary of the attention. 

“Could you-”

“No,” Austin says before he can finish. “I can't- you can't ask me to do that. I'm not going to cut you open in the bathtub like some black market organ harvester-”

“Was gonna say kitchen, actually.” Theo interrupts, and Austin makes an extremely unhappy noise. Theo ignores this. Google exists now, after all, and he has just remembered that. “Mindy, hand me my phone, please.” 

Theo had once stitched a third of his index finger back on himself. He’s pretty sure he can do this, too, as long as he doesn’t pass out from blood loss. 

“You are absolutely  _ not _ doing it yourself.”

Theo tenses, just a little, a reflex from a time when that tone meant a fight. He regrets it immediately when the result is a wave of pain that makes him nearly gag.

“What else am I going to do?”

“Go to the hospital,” Mindy and Austin say at the same time. 

Theo groans. “No.” 

~

Despite the fact that Mindy and Austin could definitely drag him to the hospital, they don’t. Neither of them are happy with his refusal, and Austin storms out after Theo digs his fingernails into his palms so far they bleed, but they won’t do that to him. 

He makes it another hour before he’s pale and shaking, sweating and choking on his own breath from how much it  _ hurts _ . 

Theo can deal with pain. He knows exactly how to swallow the hurt and endure. 

“Please,” Mindy says, voice cracking. 

He doesn't know how to deal with that.

Theo breathes out. 

He nods. The next series of moments is a blur as Mindy goes to get Austin, as Austin wraps him up in the comforter and carries him to the car, and then he blacks out. 

~

He's aware of when they get to the hospital, because Austin picks him up again and it hurts and he might have punched Austin’s shoulder, and he’s aware when the nurse presses against his stomach because it hurts and he might have screamed, but everything else is a kaleidoscope of color and motion.

~

Theo wakes up, feeling a way he can only describe as fuzzy. 

“There you are,” Austin says, voice all soft and low and warm and audibly affectionate in a way that makes Theo’s toes curl.

“Drugs?” Theo tries to say. It's not quite what comes out, but Austin must be able to translate. “Yeah, baby, they have you on the good stuff. Don't know how long it will last, though.” 

“Baby?” He’d called him babe, earlier, too, hadn't he? 

“No?”

“‘s okay,” Theo clarifies, finally aware enough to realize that Mindy is squished in the hospital bed beside him. Not touching him, but close enough that he can feel her. It's summer, so she's just pleasantly cool rather than cold.

“Think y’all are breaking hospital rules,” Theo slurs out, and Austin huffs out a laugh, raking a hand through his hair.

“Probably,” he strokes his thumb over the back of Theo’s hand, careful to avoid his IV. “You stress me out,” Austin whispers. 

“Sorry.” 

“No, it's alright,” Austin says, and then thinks better of it. “Actually, no, please don’t do anything like this again. You need to take care of yourself, okay?”

Theo recalls how scared Mindy and Austin had looked, how worried and upset he made them. 

“I’ll try.”

Austin squeezes his hand. “That’s all we’re asking for.”


End file.
